Category Archives: legal protections for whistleblowers

A number of concerned organisations signed a joint WIN letter to the relevant Ministers of the Polish Government expressing deep concerns about the draft provisions purporting to offer “whistleblower protection” as contained in the Draft Law on Transparency in Public Life. We urge the Polish Government to reject these as not fit for purpose.

07 November 2017

Dear Sirs,

The organisations and leaders within WIN, the Whistleblowing International Network, have worked in the field of public interest whistleblower law and practice for close to 40 years. Our expertise has been sought by national governments and judicial and law enforcement authorities, amongst many others around the world, looking to enhance their legal and institutional protections for whistleblowing. Our members have played a leading role at the Council of Europe, the European Union, the OECD and the United Nations as part of their mandates to support good governance and democratic accountability, the rule of law and human rights.

We write to express our unqualified agreement with the attached concerns expressed by the Fundacja im. Stefana Batorego (Stefan Batory Foundation), Helsińska Fundacja Praw Człowieka, (The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights) and Instytut Spraw Publicznych (Institute of Public Affairs) about draft provisions of a “whistleblower” law recently proposed by the Minister, Special Services Coordinator, in the draft law on transparency of public life. The proposal purports to provide whistleblower protection for those who report evidence of certain criminal offences to the prosecutor. These provisions do not fall within the definitions nor spirit of legal whistleblower rights in any other country. Even if relevant, the provisions fail to meet even one of some 20 internationally accepted legal standards and best practices for whistleblower protection, and appear to violate European standards which includes the most recent 2015 PACE Resolution and Recommendation on Improving the Protection of whistleblowers. Continue reading →